The Spec Ops franchise is one either you’ve heard of it,
haven’t heard of it, or you don’t think you have heard of it and it sounds
familiar. Back in early 98’, Spec Ops: Rangers Lead the Way was released as was
intended to be a realistic two-man squad tactical game play. Mind you, this was
in the early PC, PS1, and Dreamcast gaming era and tactical meant cover, shoot,
and move squad. After that time, I don’t know what happened there weren’t any
more Wikipedia pages on the other ones, until this one! After ten years since
the latest release in 2002, Spec Ops: The Line uncovers itself.

The developer, Yager Development took a number on trying to
update a “tactical” shooter by adding, a bit conventions that games have
contained, like story-line choices and usable hazardous environments. Many of
these choices lead to events that can either help or hurt the rest of the game’s
direction and characters much like in games as basic and large as the Eder
Scrolls to complex and closed like Mass Effect. In this game a decisions digs a
hole, it either hurts, bleeds, or prolongs an event in the game. A main point
in this game is this story that is a mask of deep, deep sand of truth and lie.

Scraped and Dirty

When dropped in Dubai for some reason, you’ll immediately
feel as though you have actually entered the Uncharted games. The game world looks
real open, really real, and really frickin hot. Is this really modeled after Dubai?
Who knows, but the thing is it looks fantastic. Unfortunately, the game’s dated
graphics can shortly take some of the atmosphere away and its textures do lag a
bit during very elaborate scenes in both gameplay and cut sequences. Even the
bright orange coloring can get a bit annoying, but that is true feel the game
wants to give, and I say annoy the crap out of me with organyness. I want to be
in the desert; even when it is 99 degrees out here!

The game’s scenery leaves and lasting impression of what the
world looks after humans are gone and a very hateful impression of not wanting
to look at sand ever again. The Art style in this game goes from typical action
end-of-the-world to insane throughout the beginning to end and soon takes on a
spin-off life of the acclaimed film, Apocalypse
Now. Each loading screen is another
representation of this games movement toward finding truth, with moving sprites
to keep a bit attention a lot like the ones in Mortal Kombat in 2011. Over all it
gives a great, gritty, dark, and loss of life in a grand, not perfect, but
effective style in post apocalyptic Dubai.

Flat on your Face

When one hears the words “tactical shooter”, they think of Battlefield
and Ghost Recon. Then point fingers and laugh at Call of Duty. The gameplay is
not as tactile as one may think. It is a third person cover-based, tell the guys
with you to shoot this guy and stun these guys. The game does not even allow
the player to direct an area for your squad mates to go. Instead you may find
them running up to the enemies and getting themselves knocked down and bleeding
out. The cover system is also needed of improvement, causing the player to die
when either trying to get in cover or while in it. The AI can be very unpredictable,
which is hard to determine if that is even a bad thing or not. After all those, there is not much new except the
fun use of sand. The sand can be used to kill, stun, and distract those crazy
enemies. Grenades can kick up a lot of sand. Shooting certain weak points can
break open a cause little sand avalanches. Don’t forget the occasional blinding
sand storm too!

At the beginning of the game, a whole lot of nothing happens
except sarcastically funny dialogue between the characters and then encounters
with not so friendly high-caliber locals. Not to mention that they are too easy
and pitiful to kill. Well just wait, then the enemies are extremely well
trained and physco U.S. soldiers. This game also features more realistic looking "executions" than in Gears of War, but just as brutal. The game’s difficulty will quickly go from
boringly easily to god have mercy upon your soul and that’s only on the second
difficulty level of the game. Loads of fun! It is a good challenge for typical
shooter. Not forgetting about the wonderful choices you got to make. One choice
is supposed to make you feel better and these don’t. You think your trying to
save people, you must save yourself from yourself. Try playing that…

Battered and Alone

Is what this game should be. Is this another multiplayer game
tacked on for more replay value? Yes it is. I wish this façade would just end.
Multiplayer is the same as Gears of War, plain as that. You can pack different
weapons and certain levels and upgrade your head wear and chest armor that is
all you can customize, and that’s lame. The only interesting and unique part of
multiplayer is the game mode called Buried, where a team must take out the
opposing team’s base by destroying vital points that make the base fill up with
sand affectively ending the game. Each match will have at least two sand storms
that either prevent or provoke camping. It is still a good waste of time, but
only if you want to play something new, but not very different.

Tattered and Torn

Here comes the storm, and I don’t mean sand storm. I mean
the storm of a story. It has been said that this basis of Spec Ops: The Line
comes from the book, Heart of Darkness
by Joseph Conrad with no connection to the John Konrad in the game, with a ‘k’.
The story shows what the basic instinct of survival, what horrors it can lead
to, and what sometimes our minds trick us into believing what it wants to see
fit. The choices in the game just make the story go on a track, not affecting
the ending at all. That is until you find out everything a need to make the ultimate
choice. I won’t go any further, but it is very interesting at the end.

Is that Nathan Drake? No, it’s just Nolan North and he is
awesome as always. He plays Martin Walker, the main protagonist of Spec Ops:
The Line and well, he is good. His character and the other characters are very
well developed and act very real, almost too real. This game being a shooter
makes for a lot of yelling and close calls. They just get lucky sometimes and
then just argue profusely, but that is to be expected. Each character
transforms during the course of the game, and they make it very prevalent by
their battle scaring bodies. They become tattered and torn both inside and out.
This game makes anyone glad they are where they are while playing it. Be thankful;
that at this time you can at least read (watch) this review or play this game; someone
has it way worse off. This game sets a standard for story-line in typical
looking shooters. Let’s hope that this is another step toward the next
generation of gaming.

(Memory Imprints)
Never End

Will there ever be an end?

Max Payne 3 and Spec Ops: The Line are games
that may be the end of this very long generation of gaming. Sure Halo 4, Borderlands
2, Assassins Creed 3, Black Ops 2, and ect need to come out, but even they are
showing promise of a next gen experience now, but it is prevalent more than
ever that a truly recycled game is not going to fly soon. Yes, MW3 was not that
great. We can’t have games like that anymore, times a changing, time to go big
or go home.

How deep I descend?

Spec Ops: The Line takes everything we thought we knew about
a typical any kind of game, and turned it around and messes with your head in
many ways. Teaching you to think for yourself and help yourself survive this
world until you can help others and do so help others. This game is worth a
rent to experience and play for a really different story and style. If you’re a
sucker for a good shoot-em-up and a really great story, get it. Or at least
wait until it hits a 20 and 30 dollar mark. Playing this game just gives you
chills because you know everything; like watching LOST after seeing the last
season. 5 dusty eggs out of 6.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

I thought that a Trials Evolution weekly top tracks was a bit underdone, but I found that untrue after I uploaded this. I also found that people do top 5's, but they last over 12 minutes. So I decided to make it showcase a top 3 instead of 5. Lets see how this works out. Enjoy!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Sorry PS3-ers. I don't know if or how this would work for you guys. I have searched to find that you can transfer PS3 saves to PC, but I can't try it. Sorry for the video cut off, it was getting a bit long for as little as I did proving that this does work. Please don't dislike because the difficulty of doing this, as you need to be quite experienced to do this.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

I cannot believe that Valve (if it is them) has this website to supposedly give a participant a beta key for the Counter Strike Global Offensive Beta (durr). One word: survey. Are you effen kidding me?!?! These surveys are like taking an infinite loop test that even when saying, "Oh, Imma gonna play some tunes and truck on thru!" Forget it! After a 3 hour survey, you got to sign up for sum bullshit that will take your money. Nice move Valve! Real great job, jerks. their... (pauses to do actual research) Trolls. Damn it; you all got a live typing of getting trolled. That crap is not official. Here is the fake Facebook page and here is the real one. That's why this is my name, I derp a lot. At least I admit it.

Just be careful while your disparately looking for any type of beta key from "official giveaways", cuz chances are they are not. I wondered why only 4,000 people liked that impostor page, they were just like me and hopefully not many more people.

FAKE:

REAL:

Some obvious and some not, to the differences and the ability to see what is real and what is not. Make sure it is real. I derped so you don't have to. If you really want a key, just sign up at counterstrike.net and fill out the real, short, official, survey and wait. Pray to Gabe Newell, if it helps, but you know he wont answer.